With the 5th Anniversary celebrations heading into view I was thinking about the thank you speech, and like the Oscars it is in danger of going on, and on. And on. So I thought I’d blog it instead, a section at a time.
What does a publisher need with musicians? Well, our regular events Solstice Shorts Festival (always), and The Story Sessions (usually), some of our launches and some of our writing workshops have included music – always acoustic, often folk, sometimes original, mostly but not exclusively songs, because we love the narrative power of a song.
Our most frequent collaborators are Ian Kennedy and Sarah Lloyd who have performed in just about every capacity we offer them.
Next most regular must be Annalie Wilson, who also reads for us and was our artist in residence for the last four Story Sessions..
Annalie Wilson
After that it’s our choir friends, in various guises, (there’s a lot of cross-over in choirs!) most frequently as Summer All Year Long, but also Vocal Chords and Raise the Roof
Will Evererett singing with Summer all Year Long
Summer All Year Long
© Ben Mueller-Brown benhasphotos.wordpress.com
Vocal Chords at WGL
more vocal chords (by Katy Darby)
Vocal Chords (by Katy Darby)
Vocal Chords Wassailing
For Solstice Shorts we really push the boat out, with (sometimes) music written for the occasion AND multiple musicians: Shadrack Tye, Pepper & Shepherd, Rosemary Lippard, Melanie Harrold, Juliet Desailly, Peter Thomas & Piotr Jordan (playing original music by Zac Gvirtzman), plus everyone already mentioned!
And finally… Lester Simpson, who runs singing workshops for us once or twice a year and teaches us amazing songs that find their way into our events, and the repetoire of choirs all over London; and has become a friend along the way.
Will there be music at the Anniversary celebrations on the 8th September? Of course there will! Book your free ticket now!
It cannot have escaped the notice of most people that it is 400 years since Shakespeare shuffled off this mortal coil. There’s been a lot of celebrating, and not to be outdone, we are joining in, not on his birthday, not on his death day, but at Midsummer. You know how we like a solstice.
The nice people at Lewisham Libraries are hosting us for an event on Tuesday 21st June at 7:30 on the front lawn of 
Shakespeare’s great skill was in telling an old story in a new way, so we are shamelessly tearing a leaf from his folio. We have poetry, story, and song, based on Shakespeare’s own work, the characters he invented, and his life.
